The arrangements of the satellite panels supporting the payload are complex, notably owing to the lack of flexibility of amplifying devices with at least one microwave tube.
FIG. 1 illustrates such an amplifier device with at least one microwave tube, according to the prior art.
Such a device includes an electrical power supply portion 1 of the RF amplifier and an amplifier portion RF 2.
The electrical power supply portion 1 includes a low voltage pre-regulator 3, a control and telemetry signal management module 4, and a high voltage converter 5.
Low voltage is understood to mean a voltage below 200 volts, and high voltage a voltage above 200 volts.
The pre-regulator 3 is connected to the power supply bus 6 of the satellite via an interface connector 7, and the management module 4 is connected to the control and telemetry signal bus 8 via an interface connector 9;
The RF amplifier portion 2 includes at least one microwave tube 10 provided with an RF signal input 11 and an amplified RF signal output 12. A connector-less fixed-mounted high voltage power supply cable 13 connects the electrical power supply portion 1 of the RF amplifier and the RF amplifier portion 2.
Integrating such an amplifier device requires two to three people since the installation calls for a great deal of caution. In addition, such a device complicates the mounting of these elements on panels of different physical levels.
It is necessary to define the lengths of high voltage electrical cables at a very early stage in the phase of defining the payload for reasons of manufacturing cycle time, which prevents the optimization of their length and involves a disadvantageous approach to their sizing, since these cables are long, heavy and difficult to install. It is impossible, after manufacturing such an amplifier device, to exchange it with another.
The conventional design of such an amplifier device uses a high voltage cable entailing equipment layout constraints on the payload panel, and a generally oversized length of cable since it has to be determined very early in the production phases.
Consequently, such embodiments involve additional costs and weight increases in the overall payload, as well as problems of progress schedule delays in the step of integrating or replacing the amplifier device.